Author's Note

Hello Universe! Palkia's back here with Chapter 2! Thank you guys so much for the support on the last chapter! You guys really enjoy this! But before we get into the story…

Dylan-A-Friend: Thank you dude! I'm glad you're enjoying this!

gwencarson126: I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thank you for your compliments in your review! Sorry I kind of messed with your feelings XD As for a human form? Hmmm maybe...you'll have to find out!

Here's the song list!

(1) Naruto's Daily Life- Naruto OST 1

(2) Foreboding Skies- Naruto Shippuden OST 2 Track 14

(3) Unparalleled Throughout History - Naruto Shippuden OST 1 Track 16

(4) Mountain Haze- Naruto Shippuden OST 2 Track 22

Alright, it's time to dddd-ddduel! Ok let's actually start lol

I do not own Naruto and I do not own TMNT. Also I don't own the song that's in here too XD

Chapter 2

Leo's Daily Life

5 years later...A day before the turtles' 15th birthday…

The lair was silent that night. Everyone was asleep. Even Master Splinter, who stayed up late usually, was asleep as well. After all, the next coming days would be very important, so he decided his sons should get some rest. Donnie had decided to sleep in his room, which would've been a shock to his brothers since he often felt asleep in his lab. Raph was not kicking or moving around frantically in the bed. Even Mikey, who would often talk in his sleep, was silent as well. Ah, the lair was as quiet as quiet could be…

"HASHIRIDASE! HASHIRIDASE! SORA TAKAKU..."

"AHHHHHH!"

The rest of the song was not heard, as headphones went flying across the room, hitting the soft padding on the wall. They had flown with so much force that if there was no padding, they probably would've shattered into a million pieces. Thankfully, they just hit the wall and landed on the floor without a broken piece or scratch. Not in anyway damaged. The same could not be said for the owner of the headphones.

(1) Sitting up on his bed, now drenched with sweat because of the recent reaction, was a giant mutant turtle. He was definitely stronger, taller, and more muscular than he was five years ago. He wore no mask on his face or wrappings, as he he taken them off before he went to sleep. The turtle looked over at the clock on his nightstand. 12 AM.

"Kurama!" He yelled. "Arrggh! You know that every time you play that song, I hate it even more?!" The turtle could hear the giant fox laughing in the back of his mind.

"Heh! Why do you think I chose it then? What do you think of your wake up call, ey Leonardo?"

Said turtle, whose name was Leonardo, groaned in agony, as he placed his hand on his head to support it, the ringing from the most recent music attack still occurring in his ears.

"Of all the songs you had to pick that one?" He had to ask.

"Well, it's better that the other one you hate," Kurama mused.

Leo could imagine the fox having a giant grin on his face. He figured that there would be another time when he would wake up to this specific song. Every night, at some point during that time, the fox would take over the turtle's body and place headphones on his head. Then he would select a random anime song from his phone, set it to play at a certain time during the night, and set it to full blast. And fox did this. Every night. While Leo was sleeping. Well, the turtle did trust the fox that much. It was a good thing that Leo soundproofed his room, otherwise his brothers and father would be in here in a heartbeat.

He would never let his brothers in his room. There was too much stuff that he had obtained over the years that the moment his brothers saw all of it, they would begin to question him on how he got it. Like his headphones, and yes, even his phone. All of which he had gotten from the surface world above for the past five years. It was a feat that he himself was proud of.

Ever since he had come home that night, the turtle wanted to know more. He wanted to learn more from Kurama. Leo was so curious and wanted to see more jutsu. However, just because he was able to perform the Transformation Jutsu didn't mean he would get to learn more. The fox stated that if Leo learned to master his control on chakra at such a young age, it could risk his identity being found out. With chakra control came more strength and abilities, something that would become hard to hide when he was that age. Well, it would hard to hide the fact that Leo could punch Raph so hard that he would go flying across the room. So the fox vowed to teach the turtle when he was 15.

But even if he couldn't learn any more jutsu, he still had one, and it was one of the most important ones, the Transformation Jutsu. Over the years, Leo had learned from Kurama how to transform into other beings. The humanoid lion was one of his personal favorites, as he gained access to more amounts of strength and power, more than his brother Raph would ever imagine himself having. But that wasn't the only form he had access to. Leo had learned to disguise himself as many different things, such as normal house cats and even weapons.

Because of these different forms, the turtle was able to escape the lair with ease, his family not even noticing. Of course, there were a few close calls, most notably a time when his brothers and Sensei could not find him and were about to check in his room, only for the eldest turtle to come in from the sewers. Boy did he get a lashing. Since then, Leo's been on strict rules to not leave the lair without someone, and while it did annoy him very much at first, he found ways to get around it.

"Couldn't you have woken me up at like, I don't know, 5:30? Ya know, the time I actually get up?" Leo asked. He heard the fox chuckle.

"You have no sense of humor do you?" Kurama inquired.

"Of course I have a sense of humor!" Leo retorted back at the fox. "You just don't seem to notice it!"

"Right, and I suppose that "prank" you pulled on the rat was meant to be funny?"

"Well excuuussse me princess, not everyone can have a dark sense of humor like you."

Leo could hear the giant fox laugh at that. The turtle finally decided to get up and out of bed. Slowly and ever so carefully, trying to not wake his family up, he opened the door and closed it behind him, leaving his wrappings and mask behind. Leo walked past his brothers' rooms quietly, not making a sound. After all, he was trained to be a ninja, someone who working hand in had with the shadows and silence. He looked around the lair, making sure that Master Splinter wasn't up as well. Seeing the coast was clear, Leo made a break for the entrance and sprinted out as fast as he could, which was faster than many people could see.

Once he was out of sight, he began forming hand seals as he ran. Dog. Boar. And Ram.

"Transformation Jutsu!" he yelled.

A puff of smoke surrounded his body, and when it cleared, he was running on all fours. Instead of a mutant turtle, there was a large muscular lion. He had grown over the past five years, now fully supporting a mane. He wore a navy blue hoodie, with a symbol of a outlined orange fox head on the back of it that he had sewn to the hoodie himself. His pants were navy blue jeans. Around his neck was a blue scarf.

"Ooo is the big kitty out to get me?" the fox mused.

"The big kitty will kick your butt one day," Leo growled out. His voice was noticeably deeper than his usual voice, disguising his original identity completely. He ran through the sewers with astonishing speed, almost like he was the Fourth Hokage himself.

"I think the big kitty will end up drowning in his own mindscape pool when that happens," Kurama joked. Leo's eyes widened a little, but soon returned to normal.

"You wouldn't dare!" Leo laughed. "You like me and I know it. You wouldn't kill me."

"Whoever said I liked you?" he commented. "I'm a tailed beast, not a pet."

"Aww come on, you may think you're the personification of hatred. But deep down, you're a fox who has cynical humor, and loves anime." Leo could imagine the giant kitsune's eyes widening, the giant ears rasing, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"I do not like anime!" Kurama roared in his mind. The lion thought otherwise.

"Really?" Leo mused. "Says the guy who was crying at the end of Your Lie in April, or was begging for a second season of The Promised Neverland. Or how about the time when.."

"Shut up!" Kurama stated with anger, but not in hatred. "You were crying too!"

"Oh sure, I was sad, but I wasn't the one balling my eyes out when Ac..."

"Rggghh Leonardo!" The fox roared. The lion was just laughing with pure joy.

"See? I do have a sense of humor! I just get it from you!" he replied.

"I'm gonna play the most annoying song tomorrow! That one!" That was when Leo's laughter dissipated and was then filled with worry.

"Wait wait wait! I didn't mean it like that! Please Kurama! Don't play that one! You like me!"

The night continued with laughter and training. Leo practiced his katas, and trained with his katanas, twin swords that were given to him by Master Splinter as his signature weapon when he and his brothers were twelve. Mostly every night, the lion would train in a secret area in the sewers, away from the lair so he wouldn't be discovered. Since the time he first learned the Transformation Jutsu, Leo wanted to be more skilled in his lion form. But he wouldn't have been able to train out in the open, so he and Kurama found a secret place in the sewers.

After a few hours, Leo was tired and sweating. He pulled out his phone from his pocket to check the time. 3:30 AM. He knew he would have to get back home. Master Splinter usually got up at about 5 to do morning meditation. The lion began to run home, so his family wouldn't suspect where he was. He wished he could do some actual training, like in chakra and jutsu. Something interesting...hmm...maybe..

"Ya know Kurama," Leo began. "Tomorrow is my 15th birthday…"

"No," The fox stated.

"And the 5 year anniversary…"

"No," Kurama said again.

"And I was thinking…" "No."

"That I could buy you ice cream.."

"Hmm?" Now Kurama was interested.

"If you teach me more jutsu..?"

"Hrrrmm," the fox groaned. He had a feeling that it was going to come to this.

"I'll think about it…"

"Yes!" Leo exclaimed. "What flavor do you want? Chocolate? Vanilla? Mint Chocolate Chip?"

"Mint Chocolate Chip," Kurama stated.

"Hey that's my favorite flavor," Leo said.

"Because you got it from me!" the fox laughed.

Leo made it home before 5 AM. Once he came near the lair, he released the jutsu and turned back into a turtle. He slept for a few hours, until, on a very rare occasion, he heard his actual alarm instead of another one of Kurama's music attacks. Leo sat up from his bed, and began to put his wrappings and mask on. Before he put the blue colored mask on, he began to think back.

"I can't believe it's been five years," he said. "Time flies that fast I guess."

"You'll realize time flies when you're about to turn 1,000 years old," Kurama replied dryly.

"Wait you're turning 1,000?! When?! I thought you were older than that!" Leo said.

"Well the Ten-Tails was in a sense 'created' almost 1,000 years ago, and since I was a part of said tailed beast, I am almost that age."

"So when's your birthday?" Leo asked.

"If you mean by 'creation day,' it's tomorrow."

"Why didn't you tell me!?" the turtle exclaimed. "I wanted to get you something!"

"Well it's hard to get me something when I'm sealed in someone," Kurama replied.

"Oh...right," Leo said. "I'll think of something to get you. I promise."

He felt the mask between his fingers. The fabric was smooth and soft. It was softer than the other masks for some reason. He didn't know whether or not they were made by the same manufacture, but he could tell that this one was different than the others.

"You still like the color red?" Kurama asked. Leo sighed.

"I don't know. I somewhat like it, but blue's been growing on me."

"Blue is the color of positive chakra, if that gives you any influence," the kitsune noted.

"I guess," Leo said. He finally put the blue mask around his head, fitting it to make sure it stayed on. After all of wrappings were on, Leo opened the door and went out into the hallway.

'Boy do I have an interesting life..' he thought. (1!)

After breakfast and morning training, the brothers were all in the lair doing whatever they wanted to do. Donnie was in his lab working on experiments. Raph was busy punching a dummy. Leo, well everyone assumed Leo was in his room. And Mikey was playing videos games. The youngest turtle mashed at the buttons on his controller. On the screen two characters played against each other. One was Luigi, which Mikey was playing as. The other was a CPU, Mewtwo.

"Come on! Come on!" Mikey exclaimed.

Unfortunately for him, he was doing very poorly. Each were at 100% damage. Any more and one of the fighters would lose. The Mewtwo was too fast for Mikey's Luigi. It landed a Shadow Ball, and Luigi went flying off of the stage.

"GAME!" The announced called.

"Awww!" Mikey cried out. "I was so close to beating him! I need to fight him again. I can…"

It was probably not the best idea for Raph to be in the same room as his youngest brother.

"Mikey!" he yelled. "Can you go and yell somewhere else? It's annoying!" Mikey began to pout at his older brother.

"But I'm so close to beating him! I need to keep going!"

"Well could you go somewhere else and do it then?" Raph asked, slightly provoked. "Or like find something else to do? You're giving me a headache!"

"Ugh, fine." Mikey groaned, getting up from where he was sitting.

He turned off the game from the victory screen, still slightly annoyed that the psychic cat had bested him once again. He left the living room, and searched around the lair to find something to do. The turtle looked over at the entrance, and then got an idea.

"Oh! Oh! Raph!" he yelled to his brother.

"What now Mikey?" Raph asked.

"Can we go in the sewers? Pllleeeeaaaassssee?" he begged.

His brother thought about it for a minute. Going into the sewers wasn't a bad idea. He would be able to blow off some steam.

"Alright fine," he answered.

"Yes!" Mikey exclaimed. "I'm gonna go ask Donnie and Leo. Be right back!" He raced away to find his other two brothers. Raph shook his head and sighed.

"He has too much energy sometimes," he groaned.

Leo exited his room, hoping to go out and train more in the sewers. But before he could do so, he saw Mikey running towards him, an excited look on his face.

"Hey Leo!" he yelled. "You want to go out in the sewers with us?" The eldest turtle thought for a moment.

'What do you think?' Leo asked.

"It couldn't hurt," Kurama said to him. "You did want to train yes?"

'But what about the training area?' he asked. 'You don't think they'll find it?'

"I think it'll be fine," he stated. "It's on the other side of the city. I highly doubt that they will be able to find it."

'If you say so…' Leo thought. "Alright, I'll go with you," he said to his younger brother.

Mikey's face lit up in excitement. "Yes!" He exclaimed. "Be right back! I'm getting Donnie!" The youngest turtle then sprinted away to find his genius brother.

Leo couldn't help but chuckle at this. 'Imagine if you were sealed inside of him?' He mentally said to the kitsune. 'He would have so much energy he would be bouncing off of the walls and ceiling!'

"Heh!" Kurama commented. "Though his chakra control would be very unstable. I think he would've gone on a rampage through the city if he had my power."

'Do you think that will happen to me?' Leo mentally asked. It was a question that he had held within him for a while.

"It's not possible," the fox noted. "I would be able to control how much chakra I give you. However, it may come to the point where your body is feeding off of my chakra without any intention."

'Wait, what are you…' Leo was about to ask, but a voice broke through his thoughts.

"Leo come on!" Raph yelled. "Quit standing around! We're going! And I'm not coming back to pick you up and drag you there!"

The eldest turtle sighed, and then replied back. "I'm coming!" He yelled.

Forgetting all about chakra control, Leo made his way towards his brothers, who were standing by the entrance. Once they got together, they headed out for the sewers.

"So why exactly are we out here Mikey?" Donnie asked.

"Uhh well, I was bored, hehe," Mikey said. The three brothers groaned. "Wait wait wait!" the youngest turtle said. "Can we play a game? Oh! How about Ninja Tag!"

Leo had a questioning look on his face. 'Ninja Tag?' he wondered.

"Probably just your brother's magical skill of naming things," the kitsune chuckled.

"Ok, so what are the rules?" Raph asked.

"We run from the person who's it!" Mikey exclaimed.

"So it's basically just Tag then?" Donnie asked.

"Well, we can make the best out of it," Leo said, trying to lighten the mood. "Mikey will be it, and the rest of us have to be hidden from him. Each of us have to use our own skills to avoid him. The only rule is no going up to the surface. Everyone got it?"

"Hey! Why do I have to be it?" Mikey asked.

"Because none of us want to be it, bonehead!" Raph commented, slightly punching his youngest brother.

"Alright Mikey, turn around and count to twenty. While you're doing that, we'll go run and hide. Got it?" Leo said to him. Mikey nodded happily. He turned around and closed his eyes, placing his head against the wall.

"When I say go, you start, alright?" His younger brothers nodded. "3...2...1…"

(2) "GO!" he yelled.

All three turtles began to run. Donnie went left, Raph went straight, and Leo went right, at a very fast speed, in the direction of his secret training area. Mikey wouldn't be able to find him since the area was so far away. He no longer sensed his brothers nearby, which Leo thought was a good thing. 'Alright, this is gonna be fun!' he thought to himself. He increased his speed, now forming hand seals. Dog, Boar, and Ram. Leo did not yell out the jutsu, as he thought it would give him away. A puff of smoke appeared, and once is dissipated, the turtle was gone, and in his place was a lion with blue clothing.

Running swiftly on all fours through the sewer, Leo was having the time of his life. Jumping over pipes, dodging objects, avoiding low ceilings, it was like a race. If anyone saw him run past, all they would see was a blur. At this point twenty seconds had past long ago, and Leo figured that Mikey would be searching by now. Finally he reached the large room in which he trained in. Claw marks were scratched on the walls, indicating areas where he had climbed up. Some parts were broken or shattered from hitting. It looked like a monster had been caged within it.

The lion jumped up towards the wall, grabbing a hold of it with his sharp claws, ones that could give Master Splinter a run for his money. Leo climbed up the wall, grabbing onto small ledges and pushing himself upwards. He was aiming for a large ledge at the top, one that was large enough for him to sit on. Finally Leo grabbed ahold of it, and pulled himself up. He sat down on the ledge, watching the entrance closely.

'Good, now I wait about half an hour and then leave,' he thought. 'He'll find Donnie and Raph first, and then start begging for me to come out. It's a good thing none of them really know their way around here.'

"You're taking a chance with your luck Leonardo," Kurama warned. "What have I told you about betting? Baka, now that you're betting, he'll find you here."

'He won't,' Leo assured him. 'Mikey doesn't usually go far from the lair. Not even Donnie or Raph go that far. They would have to be insane to come all the way out here. Even Splinter wouldn't allow us to come this far. I've hid here before, and they never found me.' The giant fox sighed.

"I'm not helping you out when he does find you," he commented. Leo got a little bit scared for a moment, but he regained his composition.

'I'll be fine,' the lion mentally stated. 'Just you watch. I'll bet you ice cream.'

"Heh! Challenge accepted then!" Kurama replied.

Ten minutes had past, and Leo still sat there waiting. A grin was starting to form on his face, knowing he was going to beat the fox at his own game.

"You seem happy," the fox commented.

'I am,' the lion replied mentally. 'I'm about to win a bet against you for once.'

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Kurama joked, grinning with satisfaction.

'What do you mean by…?' he asked, but his thoughts were cut off.

"Leooooooo," Mikey's voice rang through the sewers. That was the moment Leo began to panic, eyes widening in fear.

'No no no!' he mentally screamed.

"Yes yes yes," the fox laughed. The lion knew that there was only one tunnel that lead to here, and if he was hearing Mikey, it meant that his youngest brother was coming close to here.

'This is bad! Why are you happy?! We're gonna be dead!'

"Just release the jutsu," Kurama suggested.

'I can't just do that!' Leo mentally growled. 'Because A. Mikey's gonna wonder how I got up on this ledge, B. He's gonna wonder why I disobeyed Sensei to come out here, and C. He's gonna ask about the claw marks! If he finds me here, I'm dead! There goes my training area, there goes my respect, not to mention I will be grounded and probably never be able to go out on my own ever again, and there goes the fact of asking Splinter to let all of us go to the surface tomorrow!'

"Can you at least disguise yourself as something?" Kurama noted.

'Everything's broken! Because I broke it through training! Face it Kurama, we're both dead!'

The giant fox's eyes widened. "Oh…" he trailed off.

'Exactly...This is why I don't make any bets with you!' Leo was scared, or rather terrified. Something that he had been hiding for five years was about to be discovered. He was so in trouble.

"You down here Leo?" Mikey's voice echoed louder, signifying that he was coming closer. "I found Donnie and Raph already! I just have to find you!"

"Curse your brothers for not finding better hiding spots!" the kitsune roared in Leo's mind.

The lion grabbed his head with his paws as the fox roared in anger. Unfortunately for Leo, he got a dosage of curses and a very long list of profanities. Once he stopped, and when Leo's head stopped hurting, he let go of his head.

'Do you have any ideas on how to get out of here?!' He mentally asked.

The giant kitsune thought for a moment. Then something came to his mind. It could work, since Leo hadn't actually done this yet.

"I have one," the fox answered.

'Good!' Leo heart leapt for joy. 'What is it?'

"You're going to do a jutsu. Now listen very carefully, because this will be difficult for you to do. You remember the the hand seals I showed you?"

'Yes,' the lion replied. 'Monkey, Dragon, Rat, Bird, Snake, Ox, Dog, Horse, Tiger, Boar, Ram, and Hare. Which ones do I use?'

"Use them in this order: Boar, Dog, Bird Monkey, and Ram."

The lion began doing the signs. He already knew Dog, Boar, and Ram because of his Transformation Jutsu. The other two he had never worked with before, but Kurama had shown him what they had looked like, so he got an idea of what to do. He did the signs quickly, matching them perfectly. Leo could feel his own chakra flowing through his body.

'Okay, now what? Wait, am I supposed to yell out the jutsu?! Mikey's going to hear me!'

"Slam your palm on the ground," the kitsune answered.

'Wait are you serious?!' Leo replied. "The ledge isn't that stable! It'll collapse!'

"Guys I think he went this way!" He heard Mikey's voice, now even closer that before.

The fact that he mentioned "guys" meant that Raph and Donnie were with him. To this, the kitsune pulled Leonardo into his mindscape. Leo could now see the giant fox glaring down at him, a wide grin on his face. There was a cynical look on his face.

"So, I'm assuming you do want to die tonight?" He replied.

"I'm going!" Leo answered, escaping his mindscape with ease.

He slammed his palm onto the ground, having enough force for the ledge to crack and break. It began to break apart and collapse. But before he could fall with the ledge, smoke began to surround him. In an instant, Leo was gone from sight. The smoke cleared, as the rest of the ledge tumbled down to the bottom of the room, leaving no remanent of any ledge there. That was when Mikey ran into the room, with Raph and Donnie trailing behind. (2!)

A puff of smoke appeared once more, this time in the air. Within it was the lion himself. The smoke dissipated, and Leo saw himself in the air. "Oh no…" he said, realizing that he was above ground.

"Ahhhhhh!" He screamed as he fell towards the ground.

He wasn't up that high, but he was definitely high enough to be considered unusual. Well, that is if lions could fly anyway. He hit the ground, dirt covering his face and body. The lion groaned getting up, wondering where the heck he was. He looked around and gasped.

He was no longer in the sewers, but outside, in a very large forest. Trees towered over him, providing shade. The grass was green beneath him. The air smelled clean, not having the smells of the city within it, like gas and smoke. The sky itself was blue, not the old dingy gray like he was used to in the city. Leo was filled with curiosity and wonder. He had never seen an actual forest in his life. Sure, he sometimes snuck out to see Central Park at night, but he'd never seen anything like this.

'Kurama, where are we? What jutsu did I use?' Leo asked, having no idea what he did to get here.

"You might want to ask them," the kitsune suggested.

The lion turn around and gasped. He wasn't just in a forest. He was between two beings, who looked like they were in a fight. In front of him was a large, gray-like dog, only it's fur was more shappy, its snout was longer, ears more pointy, and tail more bushy. Behind him was a large deer, antlers large and skinny, muscular legs, and eyes that could pierce into anyone's soul. He had landed in a fight between a wolf and a deer. And the lion was caught in the middle.

'Well, what do I do then?' he pondered. 'Should I help one side? I'm already caught in the middle anyway.'

"You must choose for yourself," Kurama stated.

Leo became confused. 'Well thanks for the help then,' he internally sighed.

The lion looked back and forth, between the wolf and the deer. Kurama had said to him a while ago that because he was the kitsune's jinchuriki, he had a few certain abilities that he inherited from him. Some of these included fast healing, and the the ability to sense negative emotions. The fox theorized that was why Leonardo took the events of five years ago so hard. The negative emotions he had sensed from his younger brother overwhelmed him, having never experienced strong emotions like that before.

Leo looked over at the wolf, sensing hatred, and a very good amount of it. He turned back to the deer, but he did not sense the hatred that came from the wolf. It was something else, something that he couldn't describe. The deer wasn't bad. Leo got up on all fours, his back facing the deer. He turned his head towards the wolf, teeth bared. The lion growled which then turned into a roar.

"RRRAAAAAAA!" he roared.

The wolf's ears pulled back in fright, its tail going in between its legs. Its eyes widened in fear, and immediately ran away terrified from the lion's roar. Once the wolf was out of sight, Leo relaxed a little. He stood up on two legs, his shoulders relaxing. 'Well, that wasn't so bad,' he thought.

"It's okay now," Leo assured the deer behind him. "It's…" He turned around and was shocked. "Ah!" he jumped back in surprise.

(3) There wasn't a normal deer there anymore. In its place was a humanoid stag, standing on two legs. It was taller than Leo himself. The front legs had turned into long humanoid arms. The two front hooves became long hands with five fingers. The white fur on its chest was raised upwards, and light brown fur seemed to dance all along his body. The antlers on its head were more horizontal than vertical, and more organized. Its pupils here squared shaped, something that Leo noticed while it stared at him. The two stood in silence for a minute.

"I knew you would come here," the deer spoke to him.

Leo didn't think this being could actually speak. Nor did he think it would change into that. The lion stood there in silence and awe. How did he know that both him and Kurama would be coming here. And better yet, how did he know him? The deer lowered his head.

"You have questions, do you not?" Leo nodded his head. The deer turned his back to him.

"Good, then come with me." He began to walk away.

Leo didn't know whether or not to follow him. 'Should I go?' he asked the giant fox.

Kurama said nothing. The lion sighed, then chose to follow the deer. In actuality, the kitsune was thinking about what had occurred.

"I never expected Leonardo's summon to be him," the fox thought. "Maybe a toad or a snake, but never this. I imagine he isn't taking this well either. But...this could be very risky. He chooses who has to die and live."

The two humanoid animals walked through the forest for a while. Leo didn't have a watch, so he couldn't tell how much time had past. As they kept walking he noticed that fog was beginning to roll in. The sun was still there, beams of light peeking through the fog. In the distance he could see a large lake which appeared to be calm. Finally, they came to a large mountain, with a peak that reached towards the sky.

'I'm guessing he and I have to climb this?' Leo thought. 'How is he supposed to get up there? He doesn't even look like he can climb.'

The humanoid deer looked over at Leo, his eyes staring at him. The lion said nothing. It was like the deer had read his mind. Then, in an astonishing movement, the deer rose into the air. He was flying!

'HE CAN FLY!?' Leo's thoughts exclaimed.

"Wait!" he cried out to the deer. But the stag didn't hear him, as he rose higher. Then, he could no longer see him.

Without thinking over it first, he ran towards the side of the mountain and jumped as high as we could. Leo hit the side of the mountain, claws digging into its surface in order to hold him up. Once he was stable, he began climbing up the mountain, trying to find the strange flying humanoid deer.

"What are you, Mufasa?" Kurama chuckled to him. Leo slightly chuckled as well, remembering the scene in that movie. Though he couldn't help but notice that his kitsune friend was rather quiet.

'Is something wrong?' Leo mentally asked. 'You've been quiet.'

"Just thinking about something," the fox replied smoothly.

This worried the lion a little bit. Usually when Kurama started to think about something, it was usually a bad sign that something was going to happen. Leo didn't like this situation either. Why was he following this deer in the first place? And why was Kurama not even saying anything?

He was about three quarters of the way up the mountain. A lot of time must've passed by then. Leo began to think about how long he had been in this forest. At least a few hours. Where was he anyway? His family was probably worrying about him.

'I should've just released the jutsu and jumped down,' he thought. 'Sure I would've been punished for going so far, but I'm going to be in even more trouble when I get home. They'll probably ask where I've been and why I was gone for so long, or worse…"

The lion managed to grab onto a ledge, which was very sturdy. He pushed himself onto it, thankful that this would give him a break. To his surprise, he found a cave that went into the mountain. And in front of it was the humanoid deer himself, waiting for him. Leo's eyes widened in surprise. Why would the deer want him to come up here?

"I am glad you made it," he said to Leonardo. "Come with me," he gestured his hand to the lion for him to follow.

The deer walked into the cave, with Leo following behind him. Once he first walked in, Leo noticed that there were small torches on the side of the cave. The cave itself was perfectly carved out, as if it was man-made. "You can speak yes?" the deer said to him. Leonardo nodded.

"Speak then, you have questions, I can tell."

"Who are you?" Leo asked. "And how do you know about me?" They continued to walk down the corridor.

"My name is Shishigami," he answered. "I am the god of both life and death." Leo gasped at this. This deer was an actual god?!

"That is how I know of you. And it is also how I know of your friend that is sealed inside of you. Kurama, is it not? Speak, you will be able to be heard here."

"Heh! I am not surprised you know of me, Shishigami," Kurama commented. Leo and the deer god could hear the giant fox's voice echo through the cavern.

"Woah," Leo said.

"All are able to speak here," the deer god said to him. "Whether they may be physically or spiritually present, mortal or immortal. In here, I am able to hear Kurama as well as his jinchuriki. This is a sacred place. You have heard of the Spirit Plane correct?" Leonardo nodded his head.

"Good," Shishigami said. "This mountain, Talbot Peak, is the only place in the world where the unreal and real meet each other."

"So this place is the Spirit Plane?!" Leo exclaimed in shock.

"Partially," the stag said to him. "This is where the separation between the Spirit Plane and the Real World is the weakest. One can accidentally cross over to the unreal without even realizing it. Tell me, how did you get here?"

"His family decided it would be fun to play a game of Tag," Kurama replied sarcastically. "He was cornered and there was no way of him getting out without him being caught with explanations, so I instructed him to use the Summoning Jutsu."

"What's the Summoning Jutsu?" the lion asked.

"It is a jutsu that enables the user to transport a target to their location," the kitsune began. "However, in order to be successful in performing it, you must have a contract with an animal and or its species. I had you use it because since you do not have a contract, you would've been sent to the location of the animal that they have a natural affinity for. Hence you would've been sent out of the sewers."

"So, it's like a destiny in a sense?" Leo said.

"In a sense yes," Kurama answered. "The animal that the person is affiliated with is usually chosen at birth. But I never expected to be your species, Shishigami." Leo turned his head to the deer god.

"Is affinity with a deer very rare?" he asked.

"We have not had a summoner for our species for over 300 years," Shishigami stated.

"300 years?!" Leonardo exclaimed.

"Most people become affiliated with frogs, snakes, and slugs," the deer god began. "Rarer are birds, dogs, and monkeys. But our species is the rarest. It is because of our place in nature. We are gods. Having someone being able to summon us at will would be a total disaster."

"So why was I chosen then?" Leo had to ask. "That I do not know," he answered. "Animal affinity in a sense is random. Why you were picked to be my species' summoner I will never know. I knew you were my summoner from when the day you were born. I began to question how and why since this world has no chakra. It wasn't until you became a jinchuriki that I realized how you became it."

"You must've been worried by the fact that I was your summoner," Leo replied to him.

"I was," the deer god said to him. "I did not know what you would become, or even if you would ever come here. Having a summoner after 300 years does make one worry when someone can transport a god."

"That's why you were quiet Kurama?" the lion asked.

"In my world, deer are highly respected and are considered gods," the kitsune commented. "Many know of Shishigami, the Forest Spirit, the god of both life and death. He is neither good nor evil, and can take life and give life at will. Killing a deer is considered a very high dishonor. I will admit I was nervous when I found out you were his summoner."

"In some aspects, he is right," Shishigami stated. "While I am neither good nor evil, I do not take sides, however what I do is what is best for the forest. If there needs to be life, I will give it. If death is needed, I will bring death. I do not do what is for my best, but for all of nature's best."

They came to the end of the long cave, light pouring into it. Leo ran ahead of the deer god, wanting to know what was up ahead. Finally he made it to the end of the cave, and stood there in shock. In actuality, the mountain wasn't solid all the way through. It was hollow. A very large open chamber resided in the middle of the mountain. Light poured in from above, as there was a large opening at the top. In the center was a pool of water, where the light from the sun shined down on it. The pool appeared to glow. Grass and flowers grew at the bottom of the chamber.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Shishigami said, coming up from behind Leonardo.

"It's beautiful," he said. "I've never seen anything like it. I've traveled around the city before, but I've never been outside New York City before. This place is unlike anything I've seen." He saw the deer god point towards the pool in the center of the chamber.

"That pool down there is the entrance to the Spirit Plane," he stated. "Jump in there, and you will end up in the place of the unreal."

"Is that the only entrance to the Spirit Plane?" Leo asked.

"There's a bridge not too far from here," the deer stated. "But people keep breaking it trying to cross it, so this place was created. It's a pain trying to keep fixing it. Not many end up crossing it and making it out alive unfortunately."

"Enough with the sorrowful stories. We have something that is important to do, yes?"

A puff of smoke appeared around the deer god's hand. Once it cleared, there was a small scroll. It was blue around the middle and gold on the tips of it.

"This is a Summoning Contract," Shishigami stated. "We only have one since we never get summoners. You will write your name and handprint in blood on here."

"Bite your finger and put the blood on your other fingers he means," Kurama stated.

Shishigami opened up the scroll, revealing only one signing spot meant for him. Leo bit into his finger, tasting the blood. He began signing his name in the white rectangular square. The lion then placed a little bit of blood on the tips of his finger, and placed all five of them on the paper, forming a paw print. The deer god then rolled up the scroll, grabbing ahold of it.

"As of this day, myself and all members of my species will be summonable to you," Shishigami said to Leonardo. The humanoid deer bowed his head in respect to Leo. The lion did the same thing as well. (3!)

"I entrust in you that you will not use my kind to your advantage," the deer god said.

"I will hold that promise to you, just as I hold it for Kurama," Leo answered. Shishigami gave him a confused look.

"I promised him five years ago that I would do everything I can to return him to his world. And that, as well as this promise, is something I intend on keeping!"

The deer god chuckled at this. "You wish to be trained in chakra use yes?" Leo nodded his head.

"There is a special Senjutsu called 'Sage Mode,' in which the user utilizes nature energy around them to their advantage."

"Are you saying you can teach Sage Mode?" Kurama asked, with a hint of excitement in his voice. Leo was surprised by the fox's tone, as he rarely heard him this excited.

"In actuality, there are three types of sage mode that can be taught," the deer began. "The toads and the snakes teach the first two. However, the third exists within us, the deer. Nearly no one knows of it because of our status. I would say send Leonardo to to Mount Myōboku or Ryūchi Cave, however I do not possess the power to travel through dimensions except the Spirit Plane. However, since he is our summoner, he would be able to gain access to this place, as well as ourselves."

"Are you saying that you'll be my mentor!?" Now even Leo was beginning to get excited.

"I can teach you the properties and skills of nature energy and other jutsu similar to it," Shishigami said.

"I can provide basic jutsu as well as a few other surprises," Kurama replied. "Your fifteenth birthday is tomorrow. And I did promise you that I would begin to teach you."

Leonardo couldn't believe his ears. Not only was Kurama going to teach him, but a literal deer god was going to teach as well!

"I accept the offer," he said, trying to sound serious.

"Alright, let the excitement out," the kitsune said dryly. Leo could feel a bead of sweat move down is face from his embarrassment.

"Yes, yes, yes! I've been waiting five years for this!" he exclaimed.

"We will start your chakra training the day after your birthday, just to make it easier," the deer god began, "Your training area in the sewers is no longer usable, so you will train here from now on. Since you signed the contract, I will be able to summon you here with the Reverse Summoning Jutsu, which allows me to summon someone who signed the contract. And don't worry, I will know when you are not busy and are ready."

(4) "However, you must keep this to yourself. Your family must not know of this. Even I do not know what would happen if they ever found out that Kurama was sealed inside of you. They may exclude you, shame you, call you a demon."

Leo lowered his head. Hiding the fact that Kurama was there to begin with was easy. But now with this extra training, it would be even harder to hide his new strength. He understood the risks that he would be taking it he started to learn more jutsu.

"I understand," he began slowly. "I love my family no matter what. If they… hate me, ostracize me, call me a demon, it'll hurt. But Kurama was there when I needed him the most, during times of sadness and loneliness. Times where I've vented, I've cried, and when I've been angry. And he still is today. I owe him for saving my life when I was mutated. I love him as family. That's why I want to set him free. I want to learn more ninjutsu so I can free him."

He started to become emotional, a few tears coming to his eyes as he talked about his family.

"I..I don't care if they hate me!" he struggled to get the words out. Shishigami came to his side and put his humanoid hand on his shoulder.

"You do care," the deer god stated. "You just don't realize it. Your life has been plagued with hardships. You thought no one understood you or was by your side. The events of five years ago proved that."

Tears were pouring out of his eyes now, as Leonardo sunk to the floor crying.

"You wanted to prove to your father that you existed. That you didn't die on that night. You wanted him to be proud of you. And also that your brothers would notice and acknowledge you. That is what you want, isn't it?"

Leo nodded his head slowly. Suddenly, he felt orange fur around him, and looked up to see Kurama towering over him. His eyes widened in shock.

"You've already been acknowledged," Kurama stated, a grin forming on his face. "You are my friend, you were the first person to acknowledge me. Tailed Beasts were never treated with respect. Shishigami knows this too. We were always treated with hatred, and so we treated them with hatred. But you, you accepted me despite the fact of who I am and what I am. I even changed because of you, Leonardo."

Leo wiped away the tears from his face. He leaned back on the fox's tail. "Thank you," he said to him, smiling.

"Do not forget that I am with you as well, always," Shishigami stated. "Even if I am not physically present, I will guide you through." The lion, now understanding, stood up.

"Thank you...both of you…" the lion said. "I accept the training. And I will do my best to keep this hidden."

"Good," Shishigami said. "We will start two days from now."

"Wait, how will I get back…" Leo started, but then was cut off by the deer god when he placed his hand on his forehead. The lion felt sleepy, eyes drooping. At last, he fell asleep against Kurama's tail. Said kitsune looked over in suspicion.

"Do not worry," the deer said. "I only put him to sleep. I am going to transfer him home myself. I see that you learned that you can manifest yourself outside of his body in here?" Kurama began to chuckle. Shishigami's face softened.

"Good, because I will need your help in training him. Both physically and mentally. He trusts you more than you can ever imagine."

"His family isn't exactly perfect," Kurama noted sarcastically.

"Which is why he looks to you," Shishigami answered. "You understand what he goes through, unlike his brothers. Not to mention that there will be bigger threats in the future to his life and yours."

"Finally, this must be kept between you and me. He must not know of this until the time is right. Understand?" Kurama nodded his head.

"When you gave him your chakra in order to survive all those years ago, you didn't give him just normal chakra, you gave him Tailed-Beast chakra. If something were to happen to him, then that would mean…"

Kurama lowered his head to the deer god. Said deer began to whisper in the giant kitsune's ear. Kurama's eyes widened in shock when he head what Shishigami had to say. Once he was done. The fox lifted his head up again.

"I did not think that would happen," Kurama stated truthfully. "You would know obviously. I wouldn't."

"That is why I am asking you to protect him," Shishigami answered. "He mustn't know. If he finds out too prematurely, it'll end in despair. Leonardo will go into depression and unbelievable sadness when he finds out the truth. You must keep this from his enemies as well."

"I suggest that you don't go to your world anytime soon. There is an organization, Akatsuki it's called, that's after all of the Tailed Beasts." Kurama's ears raised up in concern.

"Believe me, I know you want to punish those who are after your brethren, but you mustn't go back now. No one there knows that you are alive, they all think you've died. Not even the Akatsuki."

"I do not know why they are after all of you, but what I do know is that they haven't captured any at this time, which is good. It will take time for them to even capture one of you, but I am hoping they don't. But, it is best to remain in this world for the time being, so that they do not know that you are alive or what I just told you. You understand, yes?"

Kurama nodded his head. "Good, then I entrust you to Leonardo. Do whatever you can."

That was when the giant fox's form became surrounded in a puff of smoke. Once the smoke cleared, he was gone, having returned to Leo's mindscape. The humanoid deer sighed, knowing that he would have a lot of work ahead of him. He touched the lion, releasing the Transformation Jutsu. He was now a mutant turtle once more. Shishigami picked up the turtle, and immediately transported both of them to the sewers of New York.

Splinter had been searching for an hour or two, trying to find his lost son. After his three other sons came home without Leonardo, he as well as the three turtles went searching. None had found any trace of the eldest turtle. This worried Splinter very much. He had searched in many of the tunnels, hoping to find him. Unfortunately he had no such luck.

"Hrrmmm," A low grunting sound was heard.

The rat master's ears perked up, and began to run in the direction of the noise. He ran through a straight tunnel, coming to a drop off. Splinter looked over it, only to be met with shock.

"Leonardo!" he cried out.

But that wasn't the only thing with Leo. There was a large stag next to him. Why was there a deer in the sewers?

He began to climb down steadily, without much difficulty. Once he reached the bottom, the rat master immediately ran to his son to make sure he was alright . He kneeled in front of the poor turtle, checking for a pulse. Surprisingly, there was a very strong pulse. His ears relaxed, as the thought of his son being very injured or possibly dead left his mind. Splinter looked up and noticed the deer was gone.

"Urrmmm," Leo was beginning to stir.

Forgetting about the deer, Master Splinter turned his attention to his eldest son. "Leonardo?" he asked.

Said turtle's eyes began to open. Soon, he could see the entirety of Leo's eyes. "My son. Are you alright? Speak if you can."

"Sen...sei?" Leo managed to say but with difficulty. He was still drowsy. "Where...are we?"

"Do you remember what happened my son?"

Leo looked over to see where they were. He realized that he was no longer with Shishigami, and back in the sewers. The Transformation Jutsu was also released as well. Leo looked over to see a ledge, and made up an excuse.

"I think I…I think I fell.." the eldest turtle said to his master.

His eyes closed again, for whatever the deer god used on him was still very strong.

"It is alright Leonardo," Splinter said to him. "I will take you home. Rest for now."

"That sounds...nice," he said, looking back at his father.

The humanoid rat picked up his son gently, minding that fact there still could be injuries. Carrying him in his arms, like he had done all those years ago, Splinter carried his son home.

What they didn't notice was the fact that Shishigami was still watching them.

'I will help you,' he vowed. 'I will help you obtain your true power and become one with it. It will be challenging. I hope you are ready…' The deer god disappeared from sight. (4!)

Author's Note

That is the end of Chapter 2! Yee! Alright, let's get into some stuff!

Five years have passed since the first chapter. I know, maybe some of you wanted to get a sneak peek into Leo's five year journey with Kurama, but I will save that for another day. As for the stuff in his room, that will be explained later on as well. I want surprises!

Ah yes, the random deer shows up in this. Ever since the episode 'Vision Quest' I have always been intrigued by him. And yet he is never brought up again! I mean come on! Ah well. Now he's in here! His name, Shishigami, which means 'Forest Spirit,' is actually the same god from the movie 'Princess Mononoke.' So congrats to those who picked up on the reference. And those of you who have watched the movie, you will know of his abilities. Those will come into play during this story. For those of you who don't know, well you'll have fun when you find out!

Ok, so I made up a thing about Sage Mode in this chapter. Only toads and snakes can teach it, but I decided to add in deer just because. Also deer have the rectangular shaped pupils just like the frogs in the anime do. Also also I thought it would be fitting for Shishigami to be a sage to begin with, since he is the god of both life and death. And yes, I said earlier that nature energy doesn't exist in the turtle's world, but you'll find out.

Lastly, what did you guys think? I legit just had the sudden urge to write again! (maybe it's cause my laptop broke XD) Let me know! I love reviews!

Hmm, wonder what Shishigami said to Kurama…

Anyways, Until Next Time, See Ya Universe!

-Palkia